Mexico Unveils New Police Force

Scaled-Down Unit Aims to Protect Mine and Farm Operations

By

Dudley Althaus and

José de Córdoba

Aug. 22, 2014 3:57 p.m. ET

MEXICO CITY—Mexico's President Enrique Peña Nieto inaugurated a new unit of the federal police force—a scaled-down version of what was initially planned as a larger, independent gendarmerie—that aims to protect key parts of the economy, like mining operations and farms, from drug gangs.

The new 5,000-strong force, modeled after similar units in France, Spain, Chile and elsewhere, was a key element of Mr. Peña Nieto's public security strategy during his 2012 presidential campaign. Having criticized former President Felipe...